Workshop on

«Computers and Discovery»

Organizers:
Patrick W. Fowler,
Professor of Theoretical Chemistry,
Exeter University,
Exeter, Great-Britain
Email: P.W.Fowler@exeter.ac.uk

Pierre Hansen, frsc
Data Mining Chair, HEC Montréal
Professor of Operations Research,
GERAD and HEC Montreal
Email: Pierre.Hansen@gerad.ca

Location:
HEC Montréal
3000, chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine
Montréal (Québec) Canada H3T 2A7

Dates:
Wednesday, June 2, 2004 to Saturday, June 5, 2004

Program:
PDF file of the program

Sponsors:
DIMACS, Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science

GERAD, Groupe d’études et de recherche en analyse des décisions (Research and study group which counts about 50 professors and 200 M.Sc. and Ph.D. students from HEC Montréal, École Polytechnique de Montréal, McGill University and Université du Québec à Montréal).

HEC Data Mining Chair (Chaire HEC d’Exploitation des Données)

Theme :
Computers are increasingly used in mathematics and the sciences. To the traditional « number-crunching » have been added formal methods, automated proof techniques and, recently, a large number of approaches to computer-aided on automated discovery. The resulting techniques in this last endeavor are grouped under various names: « experimental mathematics », «discovery science », « data mining and knowledge discovery » and the like. They are based on many different principles such as e.g. integer relation finding inductive logic programming or the joint use of metaheuristics and data analysis methods. They have led to strong results in many fields. Some of these results are very surprising, e.g. the discovery by Bailey Borwein and Plouffe of a relation for π which allows finding the value of any bit of its binary expansion without knowing the previous ones.

Aims:
The Workshop will have several aims:
(i) To survey main results obtained in computer-aided or automated discovery in various fields of mathematics such as number theory, geometry, graph theory, algebra, etc., as well as in various sciences such as chemistry, physics, bioinformatics, economics, ecology, etc.;
(ii) To present and discuss main tools of computer-aided or automated discovery;
(iii) To illustrate the working of software for discovery through demonstrations and discussions;
(iv) To stimulate the initiation of collaborative research between teams using differents techniques an/or working in different fields.

To favor those aims, the audience will be kept at a moderate size and by invitation only.

Mains speakers:
The following scientists have accepted to present one-hour main lectures: